Somebody That I Used To Know
by RussianChinaDoll
Summary: Summary: Maria is married to Alfred for 7 years, but he's now starting to have a drinking problem. What will happen to Maria and her two children? Story adopted from Hetalian WhoLock.
1. When Did It Change?

He had been so sweet and kind when they had met...

When they were 16, he used to greet her with a bright, bouquet of flowers and a bright smile every time they went out. He used to tell her he loved her everyday. And when he proposed, it had been like she was floating on air. He was the father of her son and of her future daughter. But it was all like a dream... a beautiful, magical dream.

What had she done to push him away...?

Now, 26 years old, she stood at the sink, peeling a carrot for Alfred's dinner, occasionally placing a hand on her seven-months-pregnant stomach and sighing. He would be home from the work any minute now. He did the same thing everyday: Went to work early in the morning, went to the bar with his friends after work, then came home after ten.

Her ten year old son, Jamie, came out of his bedroom, crying. "Mommy, I had a nightmare," he sniffled. "About Daddy..."

"Shhhh, come here sweetie," she set the half-peeled carrot in a bowl and knelt down next to him carefully. "Daddy's gonna be home soon, and you need to be in bed before-"

"Maria!" Alfred's voice roared.

"Run, go to bed!" she hissed at her son before her fiancé came in. Jamie ran to his bedroom. And Maria stood up quickly, holding her stomach. "Y-Yes, Alfred?"

Her drunk lover stumbled into the kitchen laughing. "Is my dinner ready?" he asked.

"N-Not yet. I'm almost done with the salad-"

"Fuck the salad, just give me my food!" he yelled at her.

She jumped and nodded hastily, grabbing his greasy McDonald's out of the microwave. "S-Should I still make the salad?" she asked sheepishly, not wanting him to be unhealthy.

"Fuck. The. SALAD!" he repeated. She nodded again and started putting the wasted vegetables away in the refrigerator. "And bring me a beer when your done fucking things up."

"O-Of course..." He grabbed the fast-food and stomped out to the living-room. She gulped back tears.

She finished cleaning and brought him his alcohol. "C-Can I get you anything else-?"

"What's that?" he asked, pointing to an envelope on the coffee table.

Her eyes widened. She had _not_ left it on the table, she couldn't have! "I-It's nothing-!" She went to grab it but he swatted her hand away and grabbed it.

Looking inside, he raised an eyebrow. "How much is this?" he asked calmly.

"O-One thousand dollars..." She whimpered as he glared at her.

"A thousand FUCKING dollars?!" he screamed at her. She nodded, terrified. "You little fucking whore! You've been selling your body out haven't you?!" He stood up.

"N-No! I'm pregnant!"

"Then where are you getting this?!" She opened her mouth. "Have you been stealing it from me?!"

"Of course not-!"

"You selfish bitch! You've been keeping it all to yourself!?"

"It's for our children, Alfred! I'm saving it for our children!"

"Well it's mine now," he smirked, taking the money out. She reached for it only to be smacked away harshly. "Me and the boys are going gambling tomorrow, this'll come in handy."

"Stop it!" she pleaded. "It's for Jamie and Charlotte-!"

"Charlotte? Who's Charlotte?!" he asked angrily. She gulped.

"I was thinking w-we could name the baby-"

"That's fucking gay," he snorted. She blinked back more tears. "Her name is Crystal."

She scoffed. "My baby is _not_ being named Crystal!" she argued.

"Says you? And who always get's their way?"

"Y-You do..." she said softly.

"Her name is Crystal Candy Jones. No arguments." He sat back down with the money. "You got to name our son a fucking faggot name, I get to pick something equally as humiliating." She sobbed. "Oh, quit your whining, you pathetic bitch."

"Why do you treat me like this?! Why do you treat me like I'm nothing?!" she screamed. His nostrils flared in anger. She gasped and backed away, covering her mouth. "I-I'm sorry!"

"You think you can fucking talk to me like that?!" he roared grabbing her hair. "_I'm _the man of this house! You listen to me! You _are_ nothing!" He pushed her back and she fell to the floor, screaming.

"A-Alfred! The baby!" she cried, holding her stomach. He knelt down to her level and slammed her head against the wall.

"I don't even want another kid!" He grabbed her stomach and rubbed it. "I think I'll just give you a quick beating." He smirked.

"ALFRED PLEASE NO!" she shrieked.

"Where did you get the money?!" he demanded.

"Arthur! Arthur gave it to me because he said he might need it!" she confessed.

"Don't speak to Arthur. Don't even look at him. You know what I'll do if you do." He stood up and stumbled off to the bedroom.

/A Two Months Later/

"So, I have bad news, and worse news," Alfred told Marzia as she brought him his food.

She waddled in with her nine-month pregnant stomach and sighed. "WHat is it darling?" she asked.

"The bad news, I lost my job-"

"YOU WHAT?!" she gasped, dropping the plate of food.

"Clean that up!" he ordered.

"You lost your job?! Alfred, that was our lifeline! Where are we supposed to get money! Alfred we have a baby on the way! We only have $4000 in savings! We're going to loose the house!"

"Oh, shut up, you haven't even heard the worst news..." he spat at her.

She blinked. "What could be worse...?"

"I spent all the money on booze and gambling last night." She couldn't breath. "Didn't I tell you to clean that mess up?"

"How much is all?"

"$100,000," he chuckled. She fell back against the wall.

"Y-You put us in debt?!" She started crying. There was a knock on the door and she went to answer it. "H-Hello, may I help you?"

"Hello, Mrs. Jones?" the man at the door asked. She nodded. "Are you quite aware that you and your husband have failed to pay your bills and mortgage for four months?"

"F-Four?" she trembled. "I-I had no idea...I thought my husband was taking care of everything..."

"Is there any way you can immediately pay the $4,132 that you owe?" She shook her head, covering her mouth as he pulled out a red piece of paper from his folder. "Then I'm afraid that the bank and government legally own this house and all of it's belongings. You have 1 day to get anything you may need. Good day, Mrs. Jones." He taped the red paper to the door and walked away.

"P-Please! Please! I have a little boy and a baby on the way! We can't leave!" He ignored her and got into his car.

"What's going on?" Alfred asked, coming to the doorway.

"W-We lost the house..."

"Oh well that's just fucking great! You really fucked up this time, didn't you?!" he yelled at her.

Her rage boiled. "_I_ fucked up?! You, Mister Jones, fucked up! I love you so much and all you care about it yourself!" she screamed at him. "We have a child and any day now we'll have two, and you act as though you own me and I'm your slave and that Jamie doesn't even exist! He's your son, dammit! And I'm your wife! We deserve just a little bit of respect!"

He spat in her face and pushed her back. "I treat you like I would treat any woman! You just don't respect _me _enough to get it! Now go pack your things we're gonna leave and find a place to stay," he ordered.

She gapped at him, disgusted. "Oh, I'll pack my things, alright," she snarled. She pushed past him and went to their room, grabbed her suitcase and filling it with clothes and a picture of their family when they were happy. "Jamie, pack a suitcase, we're leaving!" She ran to get her son in a frenzy and dragged him and the suitcase to the front door, blocked by Alfred.

"Bitch, where do you think you're going?!" he looked ready to kill her.

"_We're _leaving. You need to go somewhere else, but Jamie and I are going," she told him, holding Jamie to her.

"Come here, boy," Alfred ordered. Jamie hid behind his mother.

"I'm going with Mom," Jamie mumbled.

Alfred's eye twitched. "What?" Maria started to push passed him. "Woah, now, don't think you're leaving so soon!" He grabbed her arm.

"Don't touch me! I hate you!" she screamed. He let go and she grabbed Jamie, running out.

He looked out the door. "Fine! I don't need you! You're worthless to me!" He slammed the door as she hurried to the car.

She ran out of gas in the car by the time they had reached the city. They were a mile from the hospital and she was starting to have contractions. She grit her teeth. "No no no no!" she growled, pulling over and covering her face. "Alright...we'll walk to the hospital..." She got out of the car and got Jamie out.


	2. Alone

**-The Next Morning-**

Maria just barely made it to the hospital, giving birth to a baby girl as expected.

"You aren't really gonna name her Crystal, are you Mom?" Jamie asked.

She chuckled. "No...her name is Charlotte..." She looked at her baby. "I wish Daddy was here to see you...I wish he loved us as much as I love him..." She started sobbing. They were homeless and they had nowhere to go. Later that day, she was released from the hospital, generously giving a baby sling, which she wrapped around herself and held Charlotte in. She held Jamie's hand and started walking.

**-That Night-**

Jamie, his mother, and his newborn sister were huddled under a dryer vent in a dirty alleyway as it started to snow. Charlotte was being breast-fed and Jamie could hear his mother's stomach growling. He, himself, hadn't eaten anything since dinner the night before. The hospital had given Maria a bowl of cereal and some water, but that was it.

"Mommy, I'm hungry..." he told her quietly. "Can we go home to get food?"

"There is no home..." she said sadly. "We don't have a house anymore, sweetie. And we don't have enough money to buy food..."

He started crying and Maria held him to her. "I'm going to bring you somewhere safe tomorrow. But tonight, we'll just have to push through it..." she told him. He nodded. "You're such a good boy, Jamie..." She kissed his head.

Suddenly a bright light was flashed on their faces and they squinted. "Are you alright Miss?" the someone with the flashlight asked.

"Y-Yes...would you please get that light out of our faces?" The person moved the light, relieving that it was a police officer. She gasped and held her baby to her.

"Are you planning on sleeping here?" he asked.

"W-Well we were-"

"This is private property, Miss," he told her. She gapped.

"P-Please, this is the warmest place we could find-"

"Please come with me, Miss," he ordered. They stood up and followed the police officer to his car. They got in and were driven to the station. Maria was questioned and searched for drugs. Jamie was asked if he was abused or neglected. He told them that his Dad used to hit him and yell at him and that they had left. And that they hadn't eaten and they just wanted to sleep. Maria was put in a chair.

An officer came in. "Mrs. Jones?" he asked. She nodded. "This is quite a situation isn't it?"

"Yes sir..." She almost started crying.

"Your boy, Jamie, he's very sweet, and smart. It would be a shame if he couldn't grow up a normal life, hm?" She nodded, not looking up. "And your newborn. She will never know what a warm bed feels like...or who her Daddy is." She looked up slightly.

"I know..." she breathed.

"Mrs. Jones, the Foster system-"

"No! No, I'm bringing them to a friend's house tomorrow so they can stay there while I find a way to make money!" she told him.

"Single motherhood is very hard. I strongly recommend that you think this through. Do you have any living relatives?"

"Yes, my husband's two brothers. And I have a sister in Hawaii," she told him. He nodded.

"Are any of them able to care for a child?"

"I can care for my own children!"

"Mrs. Jones, please. For your baby and your little boy. Are they willing to care for your children?" he asked.

She was silent, then she shook her head. "Matthew lives in Canada he isn't close to my husband, Arthur is in England and he disowned my husband, and my sister...is in a mental institute..." She started crying. "But please! I can find a friend who can watch them while I find a job!"

He frowned. "Mrs. Jones, I know this is hard, but your children shouldn't be put through much more trouble. I'm begging you to allow us to take them off your hands. You may get them back when you are suitable to care for them."

"No, you are not taking my babies away from me!" she growled.

"I'm afraid Mrs. Jones, that it is required by law that children that are neglected-"

"How dare you!" she scoffed. "I do not neglect my children!"

"Well, according to your son, we has gone without food since yesterday night, and you were found sleeping in an alleyway," he argued.

"Please..." she begged. "My husband gambled and drank away every penny we had saved, and we lost the house, a-and I took Jamie away from him."

"Tell me about the abuse," he questioned.

She gulped. "Jamie never told me the his Dad hit him, Jamie never told me that," she breathed.

"But you were aware of the yelling?"

"How couldn't I be...? Most of it was directed at me..." she chuckled sadly.

"What did your husband do to you?"

"He yelled at me...blamed me for everything...pulled my hair, pinched me, pushed me around, treated me like a servant..." she shook her head. "It was so much worse before...B-Before we knew I was pregnant...he used to beat me with his belt...and he raped me..." She let her tears fall. "I don't know what happened...he was so sweet...I love him so much but he's not the man I fell in love with."

"Why did you never inform anyone of your situation, Mrs. Jones?"

"B-Because I love him...I-I thought he was just having a hard time, I didn't know he..." She started sobbing. The man nodded.

"Miss, it's clear that your children aren't in a safe environment. I'm afraid I'm legally eligible to take them away."

"No! Please!" she begged. He stood up and carefully took Charlotte from her, bringing her out to the other room. Jamie slipped passed him and ran to his mother.

"Mommy, the policemen say they're taking me away from you! Mommy don't let them take me away!" he sobbed.

She held him close, falling out of the chair and hugging him to her. "I'm sorry baby, I can't do anything," she sobbed. "I love you baby, I love you!" She held him close and he refused to let go when the police tried to grab him. "Jamie I need you to be strong and look after Charlotte, okay? You're going to go somewhere where there's nice food, and warm beds to sleep in okay? Mommy's coming back one day I promise, I'll come and get you, my baby!" She kissed his forehead and gave him to the police. He sobbed and went with them. She fell back, sobbing, her head against the back of the policeman's desk.


	3. Stolen

**-The next Morning-**

Maria walked away from the police station, kicking rocks and sniffling to herself. She found herself standing in front of the house they used to call home. Alfred was sitting on the front steps, his head in his hands. She sat down next to him and he looked up. "Maria!" he gasped.

"Hi Al..." she said softly.

"W-Where's Jamie? A-And you aren't pregnant, where's the baby?" he asked, worried.

"They're in the foster-care system..." Hearing herself say it made her cry all over again. "I lost the kids, Alfred..."

"N-No...They're safer now...they're away from me..." he looked down. "I'm sorry that I lost all of our money-"

"You think you can just apologize and that'll get our money back?! Our house?! What about our kids, Alfred?! You're the reason our newborn baby may never know who I am! Because you're selfish! And you're sick!" she sobbed. He held her hand.

"I-I'm gonna go to AA...and I'm gonna get a job and I'm going to get all of our money back. And our house, and our kids," he told her.

She leaned her head on his shoulder. "Please don't break this promise..." she breathed.

**-7 Years later-**

Alfred had only been able to get a minimum wage job at McDonald's, everywhere else turning him down. And Maria hadn't been able to get any jobs because she lacked the college education she needed. So she had ended up being forced to get a job as a stripper during the week, a prostitute on the weekends. She constantly felt unclean, and filthy. But the jobs paid well, and she managed to rent an apartment for Alfred and her after a year.

By the seventh year, they were both as thin as twigs and dirty all the time. And one month into the year, Maria was laid off from her job as a stripper. She ran into the apartment sobbing "Maria, what's wrong?" Alfred asked, setting down his water.

"I-I lost my job, Al..." she sobbed.

He sighed. "There's nothing you can do," he comforted her.

"Y-Yeah..." she sniffed, wiping her eyes. "I guess I'm a full time hooker..." She laughed at herself and slammed her fist against the table.

"Hush. Everything is ok..." he told her.

"I have to go..." she sighed. She ran to the bathroom to wash up, then the bedroom to get into her 'night-clothes' and hurried out to her normal waiting area, near a local bar.

Meanwhile, Alfred was settling down on the couch, satisfied with his day's work when there was a knock on the door. He reluctantly got up to answer it and was surprised to see his old friend Ivan standing in the doorway. He looked up at the man. "Hey, Ivan, it's been a while," he yawned. "Come in."

"Да, Спасибо (Yes, Thank You)," the Russian man smiled and walked into the tiny apartment. "I thought I would be seeing many little children running around. And your wife...Maria?" He knew perfectly well what her name was, seeing that he was her ex-boyfriend.

"We've had some hard times, these last couple of years..." he started filling his friend in on everything they had been through.

"Oh, I am very sorry to hear that, little friend," he frowned. "And the wife is at working?"

"Yeah..." he chuckled. "You're English is still a little wonky."

"I have been spending the time in my home country for last ten years, so Да, my English is bad," he explained. He smirked. "If the wife is away, then you could probably get away with a quick drink, Да?"

Alfred bit his lip. "I'm not supposed to be drinking," he told him with a sigh.

"Oh, come on, quick little shot of vodka?" he pulled a full bottle out of his coat, along with two shot glasses.

Alfred looked at the door. He had promised Maria that he wouldn't drink...but one quick shot couldn't hurt, could it? "A-Alright, just one," he agreed.

"That'a boy!" Ivan poured the shot glasses until they were full and held his up. When Alfred had his up he counted. "One, Two, Three!" They drank their shots quickly.

Alfred panted. He wanted more. "A-Again!" They drank again. And again. After about twelve shots, Alfred grabbed the bottle and started drinking straight out of it. Ivan smirked and sat back, having a high tolerance for alcohol, himself. Alfred finished half of the bottle and tried to stand up. He wobbled a bit and shook his head, trying to see straight. "I-I-I gotta stop..." he slurred.

"Да, I think you've had quite enough," Ivan took the bottle from him and set it down. "Now, Alfred, you have something I want..."

"Eh?"

"I'm willing to pay a lot of money," he continued. "I'll buy Maria off of you."

"Whaaat? he laughed. "How much money?"

"How much do you want?"

"A billion gajillion dollars!" he laughed, sinking into the chair.

"How about $600,000?" he asked.

"Seriously? Duh, dude hand it over!"

"And I will get Maria to keep?" he asked.

"Yeah, whatever of course!" he blurted. Maria came in and slammed the door, sobbing.

"I hate this stupid job!" she screamed. She looked at her husband. "Alfred what's wrong with you?"

"Ah, he has had a little too much to drink," Ivan explained, handing the money to Alfred. "Now, маленький цветок (Little Flower), it is time for us to go."

"G-Go?" she looked at him.

"Да, I own you now!" he smiled cheerily.

She blinked. "What is this? S-Some kind of sick game?!" she grabbed Alfred's shoulder. "I hate you! You drunk bastard!" She slapped him in the face and started running out the door, only do be caught by Ivan. "Ivan let go of me!"

"Ah, my little sunflower," he sighed, pushing a chloroform soaked cloth over her face. "Тише, маленький Мария, Иван собирается забрать тебя домой... (Hush, little Maria, Ivan is going to bring you home...)"


	4. A New Slave

Maria coughed a bit as she woke up. Her eyes blinked open but everything was spinning. "W-Where am I?" she croaked as she realized she had no idea where she was. She sat up slowly on the bed she found herself on. She still had her 'night clothes' on, but on a chair across the room she saw a dress. She held her head and stood up. She stumbled over to the dress and saw a note on a small table sitting next to it. There was a glass of milk and a plate with a few cookies on it. She picked up the note and read it over:

"_Dearest Maria, I have left you a little something to change into when you wake up, and cookies and milk to eat. I hope you won't be frightened, everything will be explained when I come home later. Please, eat and change, I will be sure to knock when I come up. ~Ivan"_

She looked it over again and dropped it, hurrying to the door, turning the door handle. Finding it locked, she wiggled it and let go. She looked around and blinked. Where was she? Ivan's house? As she started getting her bearings, she realized she was in the master bedroom. She had slept in here many times before. She walked over to the small table and picked up a cookie. After eating, she changed into the violet dress and sat down on the now empty chair. She looked around the room. There were pictures...of her. On the walls, on the dresser, on the nightstand, he had pictures of when they were dating. "Oh boy..."

"Knock, Knock?~" a sweet, Russian accent purred, knocking on the door. The door opened and Ivan peaked in. "Good, you are awake, my little flower!"

"Ivan what am I doing here?" she asked bluntly, crossing her arms and standing up.

"Ah, you have forgotten?" he smiled. "I bought you!"

She blinked. "What's that supposed to mean?!" she hissed.

"I gave Alfred large amount of money and he gave me you," he explained, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. "Come downstairs, my girl!"

She gapped at him. "Alfred...sold me to you?" He nodded. She felt a tear slip down her cheek and he wiped it away with his thumb. "It's not...legal?"

"It is!" he smiled, showing her a paper which stated that she was legally owned as a servant.

"T-This is sick!" she pushed him away and ran out to open door. He walked slowly after her, down the stairs and to the locked front door. "P-Please! I want to go home!"

He grabbed her arm. "Alright, this is how this is going to work," he smiled. "You are going to do everything I say, you are not going to argue. I am going to sleep with you whenever I want, and if you get pregnant then you are pregnant. No questions asked, no questions answered."

"But-"

"No buts." He smirked. "I'm going to train you. To need my sex." She just stared at him with fearful, wide eyes. "Don't look so scared. You will learn to love your master."


	5. New Beginning Or Old Lies?

Despite all the pain he had caused, Alfred's life just kept getting better and better after he sold Maria. At first he had felt so guilty he had decided to drink himself to death. After being found unconscious by the landlord and being sent to the hospital, he started attending Alcoholic's Anonymous again. At one of the meetings, he spoke to a wealthy business man who said Alfred had 'caught his attention'. The man had said that he looked like he could use a job, and offered him a job as an assistant at his insurance company.

Soon after starting his new job, Alfred became popular with his coworkers, and was willing to speak up at a business meeting. His new boss gave him a promotion within the first week. By the end of his first year, he was somehow able to convince his boss to resign and let him take over! Within a year, Alfred was nearly a millionaire. He had a mansion in California (where his job was), with a fancy, sleek convertible. Being the new and successful boss of a company, with millions of dollars to spend, Alfred was allowed to have his children back.

At first, Jamie was very protective of Charlotte, who had no idea who Alfred was. He brought them out to his expensive car, looking cool in his aviator sunglasses, and drove them home. Charlotte jumped up and down in the seat when she saw her new home, and Jamie just gapped. When they got inside, Alfred showed them around. He had set up Charlotte a gorgeous bedroom with it's own balcony and a walk in closet. He had set up Jamie a similar, but more boyish room right across the hall. Charlotte was ecstatic the entire time, jumping up and down on her bed, but Jamie said nothing.

"What's bothering you, my boy?" Alfred asked as Jamie looked around his new bedroom.

Jamie looked straight at him and said, "Where's Mom?"

Alfred bit his lip. "She...went away..." he tried.

"Where's my Mom?" Jamie asked, more firmly.

"She's dead," his father said, believing it himself. "She died a little while after we lost you-"

"After _she_ lost us!" he corrected. "_You_ lost us when you became a selfish, alcoholic bastard!"

Alfred sighed. "Jamie, I know I let you down... but I'm here now and I want to make everything up to you..." he smiled.

Jamie was about to tell him to screw himself, when a gorgeous, blonde haired woman with tan skin and a little pink dress came upstairs. "Oh! Alfie, is this Jamie?!" she asked, sounding uninterested. She had about 20 shopping bags in each hand.

"Michelle, baby," Alfred smiled, holding out his arm so he could wrap it around her waist and kiss her. "Yeah, this is my little boy, Jamie. He's bigger now, obviously."

"Who the hell is this?" Jamie asked, still angry.

"Jamie, this is my wife, Michelle," Alfred introduced. "She's your new mother!"

Charlotte skipped out and blinked at Michelle. "Wow! You're really pretty!" she smiled.

Michelle smiled wryly. "Thanks, you must be Charlotte. I'm your Mom now."

"Where's my real Mommy?" she asked.

Alfred looked at her. "Your old Mommy doesn't matter any more. This is your Mommy now," he told her.

"You're a jerk!" Jamie screamed.

"Hey, don't talk to your father that way," Michelle said.

"Shut up you attention-whore!" Jamie grabbed Charlotte's hand and started leaving.

"Jamie!" Alfred yelled after him. He ran downstairs and grabbed Charlotte. "Where do you think you're going?"

"We're leaving!"

"We are?" Charlotte asked, disappointed.

"Charlotte, you can stay here. Jamie, I want to start over. I want to get to know you and be the father I always should have been," Alfred told him.

"I don't want to be here without Mom!" Jamie yelled, feeling tears rush down his face. "I want my Mom!"

Alfred wrapped his arms around Jamie's neck. "Jamie, I love you," he told him. "No matter what I've done, I've never hated you, and I'm so so sorry..."

Jamie trembled a little and wrapped his arms around his father. This...this couldn't be real. "S-Say it again...tell me you love me..."

"Jamie I love you. I can never say it enough. You are the strongest, bravest boy I've ever known. And I love you," Alfred told him.

"Daddy..." Jamie sobbed. "Daddy I love you...I thought I hated you all these years. But all I've ever wanted was for you to love me..." He was a very open boy. He had learned to be from his foster parents. Charlotte smiled at her big brother. Jamie let go. "Dad, you're right. Let's start over. This is the beginning of a new life."


	6. The End Of An Era

Maria had never been left alone in Ivan's huge house before. She had no way of leaving, and she had nothing to do...

But it meant she could use the phone.

She hurried to Ivan's phone, searching through his phone book to see if he had any number to reach Alfred. She found an unfamiliar number with her husband's name next to it and dialed it.

Some picked up, but didn't say anything for a minute, all she could hear were people talking and someone laughing. Finally, Alfred said something. "Ivan, what's up?" he asked.

"Alfred!" Maria gasped. "Alfred it's me! Maria!" Alfred didn't say anything. "Alfie?"

"I'll be right over." The phone was hung up.

And her phone was yanked from her hand and hung up as well.

She spun around, horror filling her eyes. Ivan's large hand was smacked across her face and she screamed. "Who were you talking to?" he growled, grabbing her hair.

"N-No one-"

"Tell me the truth, you little slut, who were you talking to?!"

"A-Alfred! He's coming to get me!" she told him.

Ivan threw her against the wall. "You are not leaving. He will not buy you back from me."

"Of course he will! He loves me!" Ivan proceeded to lock her in the basement, turning the lights off. After about a day later, he dragged her out to the kitchen. Alfred sat at the kitchen table, looking nervous. "Alfie!" She ran over to him and hugged him as tightly as she could. "Oh Alfred, I missed you so much!"

"How are you alive? I thought you were dead," he said quietly.

She looked up at him... he looked sad. "Alfred I'm alive! You can bring me home!" she grinned.

"Set her free. I'll pay you back every penny. But set her free," he told Ivan.

"You have $600,000 lying around?" Ivan teased.

"Don't you?" Alfred pulled out his wallet and the money and gave it to Ivan. "Why did you do it? All of this?"

"Because I like to ruin people's lives. Especially those who break my heart," he smiled. "Like Maria."

"Ivan, I never meant to hurt you..." Maria sniffed. She still hadn't let go of Alfred.

"I don't even care anymore. Just go," he chuckled. "Your life will just keep getting worse and worse."

"How could my life get worse? My husband is here and he loves me, right?" she smiled, looking up at Alfred.

"Let's go." He pulled her out towards his car and Ivan smirked wickedly in the background. Maria got in the car and looked at Alfred happily. He didn't say anything.

They drove to the airport and Alfred handed her an envelope full of money. "What's this for?"

"Your plane ticket. You can go anywhere you want."

"Where are you going?" she asked, confused.

"Home. To my wife and my two beautiful kids. And my mansion and my car and my job," he told her, not looking at her.

"Your wife is right here..." she breathed. "I'm your wife..."

"My new wife," he explained. "Ivan told me you were dead, Maria. I thought you were dead."

"Y-You got remarried...?" she asked quietly. "T-That's alright, Alfred. We can figure this out..." She reached for his hand, which her pulled away.

"No. Jamie and Charlotte think you're dead. And if they find out you're alive, they'll want to go with you," he finally looked at her. "And I'll lose them again."

"B-But we'll be a family again-"

"Don't you get it, Maria?! We're never going to be a family again!" he yelled, making her jump.

"I-I don't understand...d-don't you love me?" Her lip trembled.

"Not particularly," he said bluntly. "Let's pretend we're still teenagers for a second and that we've been dating for a year." He cleared his throat. "Maria, it's not you it's me."

"Alfred how could you!?" she screamed, starting to sob.

"It's just not working out," he continued, still playing his little game.

"You asshole!" she got out of the car and slammed the door.

Alfred rolled down the window, smirking. "I'm not gonna let you ruin my life. Ever since you left my life has gotten better and better. See ya, babe," he chuckled, rolling up the window and driving to the car garage. She just sobbed and stood there for a minute. What had just happened? He couldn't have just done that... He was kidding. He'd be back any second.

What seemed like hours passed and Alfred never came back.


End file.
